Constructed by: Hoang-Kim Vu and Jessica Zetzman
Edited by: Will Shortz
Not your puzzle? Try today’s …
… syndicated NY Times crossword
Today’s Reveal Answer(s): Leave Me … Out of It
Each themed answer only make sense when we LEAVE “ME” OUT OF IT:
- 45D With 42-Down, “I don’t want anything to do with this!” … or a hint to the answers to the starred clues : LEAVE ME …
- 42D See 45-Down : … OUT OF IT
- 18A *Spike ___ : MELEE (giving “Lee”)
- 20A *Call again, on a rotary phone : REMEDIAL (giving “redial”)
- 22A *They may be split or bitter : EMENDS (giving “ends”)
- 24A *Promo : MEAD (giving “ad”)
- 26A *Cut of pork : LOMEIN (giving “loin”)
- 37A *Grammy-winning Jones : MENORAH (giving “Norah”)
- 48A *Important closing document : DEEMED (giving “deed”)
- 51A *”Lead-in to a texter’s perspective : I’M HOME (giving “IMHO”)
- 59A *#5 on Billboard’s Best Rappers of All Time list : NAMES (giving “Nas”)
- 64A *One parked at a park, in brief : MERV (giving “RV”)
- 4D *Flax fabric : LINEMEN (giving “linen”)
- 10D *Courier and Papyrus, for two : FOMENTS (giving “fonts”)
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… a complete list of answers
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Bill’s time: 9m 52s
Bill’s errors: 0
Today’s Wiki-est Amazonian Googlies
Across
1 Future yearling : FOAL
There are lots of terms to describe horses of different ages and sexes, it seems:
- Foal: horse of either sex that is less than one year old
- Yearling: horse of either sex that is one to two years old
- Filly: female horse under the age of four
- Colt: male horse under the age of four
- Gelding: castrated male horse of any age
- Stallion: non-castrated male horse four years or older
- Mare: female horse four years or older
10 Anxiety about not being included, in modern lingo : FOMO
Fear of missing out (FOMO)
14 Start to trust? : ANTI-
Antitrust laws are those that protect market competition and regulate against anti-competitive activities by individuals and companies.
17 Oprah, for one : ICON
What can you say about Oprah Winfrey that hasn’t been said already? Born into poverty to a single mother and with a harrowing childhood, Oprah is now the greatest African American philanthropist the world has ever known. Oprah’s name was originally meant to be “Orpah” after the Biblical character in the Book of Ruth, and that’s how it appears on her birth certificate. Apparently folks had trouble pronouncing “Orpah”, so she’s now “Oprah”.
18 *Spike ___ : MELEE (giving “Lee”)
Film director Spike Lee was born in Atlanta, Georgia but has very much made New York City his home and place of work. Most of Lee’s films are set in New York City, including his first feature film, 1986’s “She’s Gotta Have It”. That film was shot over two weeks with a budget of $175,000. “She’s Gotta Have It” grossed over $7 million at the US box office.
20 *Call again, on a rotary phone : REMEDIAL (giving “redial”)
The first patent for a rotary dial mechanism for a phone was granted in 1898, and the familiar rotary dial phones (with holes for the finger) were introduced by the Bell System in 1919. This form of dialing was called “pulse dialing”. When you dialed the number 5, say, the dial would rotate back to the start position, opening and closing electrical contacts five times and sending five pulses over the telephone line. I used to love rotary dial phones when I was a kid. My grandfather was a telephone engineer and he showed me how to “tap out” the pulses on the “hook” at the top of a pay phone. I was able to make free calls that way. He definitely contributed to the delinquency of a minor …
25 Phaser setting : STUN
A MASER is a device that was around long before LASERs came into the public consciousness. A MASER (Microwave Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation) is similar to a LASER, but microwaves are emitted rather than light waves. When the storyline for “Star Trek” was being developed, the writers introduced a weapon called a “phaser”, with the name “phaser” derived from PHoton mASER.
33 Body parts rested at the optometrist’s : CHINS
Starting in the mid-1700s, a device known as an optometer was used for measuring prescriptions for eyeglasses. Over time, a professional using an optometer came to be known as an optometrist.
35 Suffix in the names of seven U.N. members : -STAN
The suffix “-stan” in many place names is Persian for “place of”. One example is “Pakistan”, the Place of the Pure. “Pakistan” is a relatively recent name, coined in 1933. It comes from the abbreviation PAKSTAN, standing for Punjab – Afghan Province – Kashmir – Sindh – BaluchisTAN, all regions in the north of India. The “I” was added to Pakistan to make it easier to pronounce, and to fit the translation “Land of the Pure”.
36 Martial arts tier : DAN
The dan ranking system is used in several Japanese and Korean martial arts. The dan ranking indicates a level of proficiency, and often only applies to practitioners who have already earned a black belt.
37 *Grammy-winning Jones : MENORAH (giving “Norah”)
The beguiling Norah Jones is the daughter of famed sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar, and is one of my favorite singers. If you haven’t heard Jones singing her song “Come Away with Me”, you just haven’t lived …
40 Saison après le printemps : ETE
In French, “été” (summer) follows “printemps” (spring).
43 N.Y.C. cultural institution : MOMA
The founding of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City was very much driven by Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, wife of John D. Rockefeller. Working with two friends, Abby managed to get the museum opened in 1929, just nine days after the Wall Street Crash. The MoMA’s sculpture garden bears the name of Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, and has done so since 1949.
46 Mount that inspired the song “Funiculì, Funiculà” : VESUVIUS
Mount Vesuvius is on the Bay of Naples, just over five miles from the city of Naples. The most famous of the volcano’s eruptions took place in AD 79, the one which destroyed the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum. Today, Vesuvius is considered to be one of the most dangerous volcanoes in the world, largely because it is at the center of the most densely populated volcanic region in the world, with 3 million people living nearby.
50 Actress Kirke of “Mozart in the Jungle” : LOLA
Lola Kirke is an actress and singer-songwriter who is perhaps best known for playing the lead in the TV show “Mozart in the Jungle”. Although raised in New York City, she was actually born in London.
51 *”Lead-in to a texter’s perspective : I’M HOME (giving “IMHO”)
In my humble opinion (IMHO)
54 French-developed form of cooking in a precisely temperature-controlled water bath : SOUS VIDE
“Sous-vide” is a cooking method in which the food is sealed in plastic bags and very slowly steamed in a water bath. The term “sous-vide” is French for “under vacuum”.
59 *#5 on Billboard’s Best Rappers of All Time list : NAMES (giving “Nas”)
Rapper Nas used to go by an earlier stage name “Nasty Nas”, and before that by his real name “Nasir bin Olu Dara Jones”. Nas released his first album “Illmatic” in 1994, and inventively titled his fifth studio album “Stillmatic”, released in 2001.
61 College founded by Henry VI : ETON
Eton College near Windsor in the south of England was founded way back in 1440 by King Henry VI. Originally known as “The King’s College of Our Lady of Eton besides Wyndsor”, the school was intended to provide free education to poor boys. Free education today at Eton? Not so much …
King Henry VI of England succeeded to the throne when he was just nine months old, making him the youngest monarch ever to sit on the English throne.
62 Hindu goddess of power : KALI
Kali is a Hindu goddess and the consort of Lord Shiva. The name “Kali” translates as “the black one”.
63 Cameron in Hollywood : CROWE
Cameron Crowe was a contributing editor for “Rolling Stone” magazine before he moved into the world of film, becoming an actor, producer, director and screenwriter. Crowe wrote “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”, and wrote and directed “Say Anything…” and the huge hit “Jerry Maguire”. He also wrote and directed the semi-autobiographical movie “Almost Famous”, which was released in 2000.
64 *One parked at a park, in brief : MERV (giving “RV”)
Recreational vehicle (RV)
66 Goaded, with “on” : EGGED …
The verb “to edge” has been used to mean to incite, to urge on, from the 16th century. Somewhere along the way “edge” was mistakenly replaced with “egg”, giving us our term “to egg on” meaning “to goad”.
67 Award that sounds like two letters of the alphabet : EMMY
The Emmy Awards are the television equivalent of the Oscars from the world of film, the Grammy Awards in music and the Tony Awards for the stage. Emmy Awards are presented throughout the year, depending on the sector of television being honored. The most famous of these ceremonies are the Primetime Emmy Awards and the Daytime Emmy Awards. The distinctive name “Emmy” is a softened version of the word “immy”, the nickname given to the video camera tubes found in old television cameras. The Emmy statuette was designed by television engineer Louis McManus in 1948, and depicts a woman holding up an atom. McManus used his wife as a model for the woman.
Down
4 *Flax fabric : LINEMEN (giving “linen”)
The textile known as linen is made from flax fibers. The name “linen” probably comes from “linum”, which is Latin for both “flax” and “textile made from flax”.
5 Like a monkey : SIMIAN
“Simian” means “pertaining to monkeys or apes”, from the Latin word “simia” meaning “ape”.
8 Lowest part of a glacier : TOE
A glacier is a body of ice that persists throughout the seasons, and which moves under its own weight. The term “glacier” ultimately derives from the Latin “glacies” meaning “ice”.
10 *Courier and Papyrus, for two : FOMENTS (giving “fonts”)
A font is a set of characters used in printing that have the same style. In the days of metal type, all the letters of a given style were cast at same time, i.e. the metal was melted and poured into a single mold. The word “font” comes into English from the Middle French “fonte” meaning “casting”.
11 One-eyed Norse god : ODIN
In Norse mythology, Odin was the chief of the gods. He is usually depicted as having one eye, reflecting the story of how he gave one of his eyes in exchange for wisdom.
13 Magnetite and malachite : ORES
Magnetite is a form of iron oxide ore, a valuable source of iron. It is the most magnetic of all known minerals, hence the name. Pieces of magnetite called lodestone were used in ancient times to study the property of magnetism.
Malachite is a mineral composed of copper carbonate hydroxide. Samples of the mineral contain opaque green bands. The name “malachite” ultimately derives from the Greek “molochitis lithos” meaning “mallow-green stone”. This is a reference to green leaves of the mallow plant, also known as “malva”. Paradoxically, it is the French name of the malva plant that gives our word “mauve”, referring to the color of the flowers.
21 Natural theology : DEISM
Deism (from the Latin “deus” meaning god) is the belief that a supreme being created the universe, a belief based on observation and reason, and without the need for faith. Further, a deist does not accept divine intervention and rather believes that the supreme being, having created the universe, leaves the world to its own devices.
23 There are two in the Greek “Mnemosyne” : MUS
The Greek letter mu is the forerunner to our Roman letter M.
27 Facility formerly known as Orchard Field : O’HARE
O’Hare International was the world’s busiest airport from 1963 to 1998. The original airport was constructed on the site between 1942 and 1943, and was used by the Douglas Aircraft Company for the manufacture of planes during WWII. Before the factory and airport were built, there was a community in the area called Orchard Place, so the airport was called Orchard Place Airport/Douglas Field. This name is the derivation of the airport’s current location identifier: ORD (OR-chard D-ouglas). Orchard Place Airport was renamed to O’Hare International in 1949 in honor of Lieutenant Commander Butch O’Hare who grew up in Chicago. O’Hare was the US Navy’s first flying ace and a Medal of Honor recipient in WWII.
28 Some iPads : MINIS
The iPad mini is a line of smaller iPads that was introduced by Apple in 2012. The iPad mini has a screen size of 7.9 inches, whereas the regular iPad’s screen is 9.7 inches.
31 Serving that might have a “solid heart” or “simple tulip” design : LATTE
“Latte art” is the name given to the designs that can be drawn on the surface of coffee drinks. Some of those designs can be quite intricate.
34 Proboscis : SNOUT
A proboscis is a long appendage attached to the head of an animal, and is sometimes referred to as an elongated “nose”. Many an insect has a proboscis, as does an elephant.
47 Energy : VIM
“Vim”, “zip“ and “pep” are all words that mean “energy, power”.
50 Musical partner of Lerner : LOEWE
Frederick Loewe was a composer who was best known for his collaborations with the lyricist Alan Jay Lerner, the most famous of which were “My Fair Lady”, “Gigi” and “Camelot”.
52 Aquatic protection : MOAT
A moat is a protective trench that surrounds a castle, say, or an exhibit in a zoo. A moat may or may not be filled with water.
53 Greeting in Granada : HOLA
Granada is a city and province in Andalusia in the south of Spain. Granada should not be confused with Grenada (note the different spelling), an island nation in the Caribbean that was invaded by the US in 1983.
54 Unfresh air : SMOG
“Smog” is a portmanteau formed by melding “smoke” and “fog”. The term was first used to describe the air around London in the early 1900s. Several cities around the world have a reputation of being particularly smoggy. For example, the most smog-plagued city in Latin America is Mexico City, which is located in a highland “bowl” that traps industrial and vehicle pollution.
55 Couple : ITEM
An unmarried couple known to be involved with each other might appear in the gossip columns. This appearance as “an item” in the papers, led to the use of “item” to refer to such a couple, but only since the very early seventies.
56 College ___ : DORM
“Dormitory” is a very apt anagram of “dirty room”. Well, sometimes it’s apt …
57 Member of a noted septet : ENVY
The cardinal sins of Christian ethics are also known as the seven deadly sins. The seven sins are:
- Wrath
- Greed
- Sloth
- Pride
- Lust
- Envy
- Gluttony
60 Uru. neighbor : ARG
Argentina is the second largest country in South America (after Brazil), and the world’s largest Spanish-speaking nation. The name “Argentina” comes from the Latin “argentum”, the word for “silver”. It is thought that the name was given by the early Spanish and Portuguese conquerors who also named the Rio de la Plata (the “Silver River”). Those early explorers got hold of lots of silver objects that they found among the native population.
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Complete List of Clues/Answers
Across
1 Future yearling : FOAL
5 Things at camp that can be camp : SKITS
10 Anxiety about not being included, in modern lingo : FOMO
14 Start to trust? : ANTI-
15 Coming along behind : IN TOW
16 Something fishy, maybe : ODOR
17 Oprah, for one : ICON
18 *Spike ___ : MELEE (giving “Lee”)
19 One of about 3.5 in a league : MILE
20 *Call again, on a rotary phone : REMEDIAL (giving “redial”)
22 *They may be split or bitter : EMENDS (giving “ends”)
24 *Promo : MEAD (giving “ad”)
25 Phaser setting : STUN
26 *Cut of pork : LOMEIN (giving “loin”)
29 “There’s something we need to discuss” : LET’S TALK
33 Body parts rested at the optometrist’s : CHINS
34 Peeved : SORE
35 Suffix in the names of seven U.N. members : -STAN
36 Martial arts tier : DAN
37 *Grammy-winning Jones : MENORAH (giving “Norah”)
40 Saison après le printemps : ETE
41 Combo’s rhythm section, maybe : TRIO
43 N.Y.C. cultural institution : MOMA
44 Cheer : ELATE
46 Mount that inspired the song “Funiculì, Funiculà” : VESUVIUS
48 *Important closing document : DEEMED (giving “deed”)
49 Shade : TINT
50 Actress Kirke of “Mozart in the Jungle” : LOLA
51 *”Lead-in to a texter’s perspective : I’M HOME (giving “IMHO”)
54 French-developed form of cooking in a precisely temperature-controlled water bath : SOUS VIDE
58 Raise the ___ : ROOF
59 *#5 on Billboard’s Best Rappers of All Time list : NAMES (giving “Nas”)
61 College founded by Henry VI : ETON
62 Hindu goddess of power : KALI
63 Cameron in Hollywood : CROWE
64 *One parked at a park, in brief : MERV (giving “RV”)
65 “Now!” : STAT!
66 Goaded, with “on” : EGGED …
67 Award that sounds like two letters of the alphabet : EMMY
Down
1 In play : FAIR
2 Years ago : ONCE
3 Small building block : ATOM
4 *Flax fabric : LINEMEN (giving “linen”)
5 Like a monkey : SIMIAN
6 Press and fold : KNEAD
7 “___ be all right” : IT’LL
8 Lowest part of a glacier : TOE
9 Southern quencher : SWEET TEA
10 *Courier and Papyrus, for two : FOMENTS (giving “fonts”)
11 One-eyed Norse god : ODIN
12 Shape : MOLD
13 Magnetite and malachite : ORES
21 Natural theology : DEISM
23 There are two in the Greek “Mnemosyne” : MUS
25 ___ da Estrela (Portuguese mountain range) : SERRA
26 High-def flat screen : LCD TV
27 Facility formerly known as Orchard Field : O’HARE
28 Some iPads : MINIS
29 Hovers : LOOMS
30 Starters : A-TEAM
31 Serving that might have a “solid heart” or “simple tulip” design : LATTE
32 Homophone of 6-Down : KNEED
34 Proboscis : SNOUT
38 Notability : EMINENCE
39 They may be dug in : HEELS
42 See 45-Down : … OUT OF IT
45 With 42-Down, “I don’t want anything to do with this!” … or a hint to the answers to the starred clues : LEAVE ME …
47 Energy : VIM
48 Put out : DOUSED
50 Musical partner of Lerner : LOEWE
51 Nettles : IRKS
52 Aquatic protection : MOAT
53 Greeting in Granada : HOLA
54 Unfresh air : SMOG
55 Couple : ITEM
56 College ___ : DORM
57 Member of a noted septet : ENVY
60 Uru. neighbor : ARG
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7 thoughts on “1117-22 NY Times Crossword 17 Nov 22, Thursday”
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25:16, no errors. Lots of quagmires for me today. Right off the bat, 1A entered FAWN > COLT > FOAL.
36:48, got the theme relatively early(for me), but “irk” really raises my “ire” :- )
20:30. I was confused for a while. I got the second half of the reveal which helped me guess the first half of the reveal which got me the theme which I leaned on heavily after that to finish the puzzle.
I had ESPY before EMMY. They both work.
Best –
28:32, no errors. It took me a long time to finally get the theme today. Lots of thinking, not much entering.
Took me a whe also to get the theme but it was pretty easy going after that.
I even went too far. There were so many asterisks, I assumed 46A had one also.. Couldn’t get anything to click. Then I looked at the clue again and realized there was no asterisk.
Another stupid, impossible theme. Give me a straightforward crossword, please!
No errors, but plenty of head scratching. Enjoyed the clues and mildly enjoyed the theme. Things should get fun and dicey tomorrow.